Alumni Today

Thomas Chin ’80 | An Alumni Profile

January 02, 2014

Thomas Chin, who graduated from CSI in1980 with an associate’s degree in Electronics Engineering, was an ideal candidate to speak at last June’s induction Ceremony of Phi Beta Delta, the honor society for international scholars, as he is currently the Vice President of infrastructure operations, Latin America and Canada, for JPmorgan Chase. Chin is responsible for the day-to-day technology operations in multiple countries and major cities in the region.

Discussing his often challenging role, Chin explains, “my job is very dynamic and my day can sometimes be very unpredictable. My duty is to manage our region’s technology infrastructure to support our users’ business functions. I never know what and when an incident can strike, but when it does, it is my job to manage the situation and get the problem fixed as quickly as possible so the users can go back to their Business as Usual operations. And that is the fun and challenging part of my job—always being ready to tackle different problems and situations. You sometimes feel like you are sitting behind a race car on the starting line waiting for the flag to drop.”

Looking back on his college and life experiences, Chin notes that CSI laid the foundation for his success, while simply living life in our complex world helps him to grow professionally. “I personally don’t think you will be able to learn everything from school, as there is so much to learn in this world of ours. There are new technologies and apps by the hours or minutes. But i know CSI gave me the good start I needed—my baseline knowledge, how to think logically, and the technology concepts. after CSI, I still need to expand my knowledge and continue my learning skills from my industry peers and colleagues on the job.”

Chin was happy to have the opportunity to return to his alma mater last June. “It was great coming back to CSI after 33 years! CSI looks great—from the moment I came through the gate and got lost looking for the right parking lot—it is so big. The campus buildings are beautiful and I would have loved to have time to check out the tech labs. Even though it is not the same campus I graduated from, I still got chills stepping into the auditorium and speaking in front of the Phi Beta Delta honor society members and their families.”

He also had a positive experience meeting CSI’s international scholars at the induction Ceremony. “When I talked to the students about my job and my career and saw that they were so interested, it really made me feel good. I loved speaking to young people as I do with many of the young entry-level members of my staff. I enjoyed passing on my work experience to them and sharing with them the different situations that I have faced, how I would handle situations, and what my thinking was behind taking certain actions.”

”Fortunately, this visit went so well that the future might hold more trips to campus for Chin. “I enjoy being a mentor,” he says, “and would love to provide any assistance to my fellow CSI students.”